THE PARABLE OF A SPARROW

This article is about house sparrows who are on the verge of extinction. It primarily focuses on the threats to the survival of these cute small creatures

Sparrows are cheerful, peppy and sociable which were introduced in New York in 1851. The male house sparrows are brightly colored birds with gray heads, white cheek and fluffy appearance while the female ones are plain brown with their backs striped with black and brown.

They generally reside in nests made in houses, street lights and other man-made structures. But currently, their population is decreasing at alarming rates. They were declared extinct in 1987. What could be the possible reasons for this?

The prime cause for their disappearance is the loss of habitat. The modern architecture and introduction of high-rise buildings makes it difficult for these sparrows to build their nests. Cell towers are another cause which severe threat to their survival. They are not able to withstand the powerful signals coming from these towers which adversely affects their immune system and reproductive abilities. Further adding to this are the chemicals used in plantations. Since sparrows suffer from lack of food, they heavily depend on the crops produced in agricultural fields. But most of the times, these crops are sprayed with chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and other harmful toxic substances.

Realizing this, 20^th March is celebrated as World Sparrow Day-a day to spare a thought for the lost. The aim of marking this day is to stress on the need to conserve the remaining population sparrows.

Some common ways to save sparrows are:-

1. Place bird feeders near the windows are outside houses.

2. Keep water bowls, especially during summer for birds to re-hydrate

3. Try to grow more plants.

4.Volunteer for campaigns to create more awareness on the need to save sparrows.

5. Discourage the use of chemicals in fields.